Inexperienced carpet cleaners often make grandiose claims on how they will restore a carpet to a near new condition. However, it is safer to under-promise and over-deliver, instead of being guilty of the opposite.

Pre-inspections

The purpose of a carpet cleaning pre-inspection is to locate all damaged areas. For example, bleach stains cannot be removed with cleaning procedures. Occasionally, a bleach stain is dormant until you add water. You did not cause the stain with your process; otherwise the entire carpet would be missing color. You did not spill bleach (sodium hypochlorite) on the carpet because you do not clean with bleach, and all of your spotters are approved and normally guaranteed not to fade or bleach a carpet. ​Another type of carpet damage is sun-fading. This appears next to a sliding glass door where the sun beats down on the carpet day after day and finally fades it. Likewise, some stains may appear after cleaning where there was an unnoticed spill of athlete’s foot treatment, acne treatment, and other products containing benzyl peroxide.

Permanent Soil Abrasion

Some carpet cleaners use a section of a clear acrylic rod to illustrate how soil damages carpet fibers. On one half of the rod they use coarse sandpaper to etch and scratch the rod so that it is opaque. The other half is left untouched, and is easy to see through.

Whenever a traffic lane is damaged and the color cannot be returned so the center matches the edge, they fetch the acrylic rod and show it to the customer. It makes a great point that after a certain amount of wear, the carpet fiber becomes worn and will no longer reflect light. That is why the carpet appears dull in themiddle of the traffic lane.

To head off potential problems, make sure everyone on your team has received in-depth training and adequate experience.

Gary Clipperton is a 45-year industry veteran and author of several books, training programs, software and videos. His new training program includes a carpet startup and expansion program, IICRC Basic Skills Carpet Care program, and Cleaning Managers Dashboard all in the new Carpet and Floor Care Bundle available through Totally Booked University. Gary can be reached at gary@nationalproclean.com or 719-598-5112.

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